Christmas Traditions

We make three kinds of cookies

at Christmas in our family.
(and once you have read the recipes,
you'll understand why they are only made at Christmas!)


We get together in my father-in-law's teeny-tiny kitchen
sometimes ten, sometimes twelve of us, turn up the Christmas music, 
and bake all afternoon.


This year we were just ten, as youngest daughter and her hubby are
in Miami...but it was okay, we connected by speaker phone and shared some
of the afternoon with them.

Vanille Krunsl

¾ c sugar

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

10 oz butter

1 pkt vanilla sugar

3 c flour

Icing sugar and jam to finish

1. Mix all dry ingredients
2. Rub in butter
3. Add eggs and egg yolk
4. Roll on lightly-floured board
5. Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 325 for 12-15 minutes until pale yellow
6. Sandwich with jam and dust with icing sugar

Rum Balls

¼ lb bittersweet chocolate

2 oz butter

½ c finely ground walnuts/almonds

1 oz rum

8 oz icing sugar

1 oz graham cracker crumbs

2 egg yolks

1 Melt chocolate and butter.

2 Add the rest of the ingredients.

3 Cool approximately 1-1/2 hrs

4 Roll into bite-size balls and decorate in chocolate sprinkles/coloured sugar

Makes approximately 36

and Lady Fingers

3 c ground walnuts

3/4 c flour

3/4 c sugar

1/4 c graham crackers

1 egg

1 egg yolk

Icing

1 egg white

7 tbsp icing sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

1 Mix all ingredients until well blended and forms a dough.

2 Roll dough into a rectangle approx 1/2" thick.

3 Beat egg white and lemon juice to the soft peak stage.

4 Add icing sugar one tbsp at a time until icing stands in thick peaks.

5 Spread icing on dough. Cut into fingers and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

6 Bake for 3 mins at 350 degrees 

7 Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees and bake until icing is dry (approx 45 mins).

and it certainly wouldn't be Christmas
without Kenny and Dolly